Wolfgang Puck to Cater at Staples
The Los Angeles Lakers may be betting on Kobe Bryant, but Staples Center is putting its money on Wolfgang Puck.
AEG, the sports and entertainment unit of Anschutz Corp., said Monday it reached a deal with the chef’s catering and events company and Chicago-based Levy Restaurants to provide food services at all of its sports and entertainment properties, including Staples Center.
Timothy J. Leiweke, president of AEG, estimated the initial value of the 10-year deal at $55 million to $60 million a year -- a sum he said could hit $100 million a year once AEG completed a series of projects by 2007, including Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, the Millennium Dome Arena in London and National Arena in Berlin.
“In a city like New York, Los Angeles or London you need a star,” Leiweke said of the decision to expand ties with Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events.
The agreement builds on Puck’s business dealings with AEG and Levy Restaurants. Puck already provides concessions and caters special events at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas -- both AEG venues. Puck and Levy also worked together in 2000 on the stadium club at Dodger Stadium, including installing a wood-burning oven to make his famous pizzas.
Levy Restaurants owns or manages restaurants and food service operations at 91 locations in three countries.
Puck said the new deal with Levy and AEG would allow him to grow his catering business -- part of a larger strategy that includes expanding Wolfgang Puck Expresses, particularly at airports, and closing several of his namesake cafes in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
The cafes were confusing for customers, Puck said, adding: “They always expect Spago.”
The arrangement took effect Monday at AEG’s Home Depot Center, where the deal was announced during the JPMorgan Chase Open tennis tournament. Home Depot Center food services had been handled by Philadelphia-based Aramark Worldwide Corp.
The changeover at Staples Center will begin Aug. 1. Levy Restaurants already was handling the arena’s premium dining, and now will take over general concessions from Aramark.
AEG and Levy declined to provide details on the food offerings planned for Staples and other venues. But perhaps they gave a preview at Home Deport Center on Monday, where tennis star Serena Williams was one of a half-dozen competitors who helped Puck make tennis-ball-shaped caprese salads out of yellow heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and a batch of his signature chicken salad.
